Descriptive summary
|
creator:
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Terrill, Thomas
M. (1850-1912) |
|
title:
|
Papers |
|
dates:
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1871-1994, n.d. |
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extent:
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3.15 linear ft.
(7 document boxes and 1 half-document box) |
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collection number:
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MS
690 |
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repository:
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Special Collections Department, Iowa State University.
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Administrative
information
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access:
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Open for research
|
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publication rights:
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Consult Head, Special Collections Department
|
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preferred
citation:
|
Thomas M.
Terrill Papers, MS 690, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library.
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Biographical
note
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|
Thomas Milton Terrill was
born in Ohio County, Virginia, on May 18, 1850, the son of Daniel
and Tabitha Hemphill Terrill. In 1853 the family moved to Cedar
County, Iowa, where they started a farming operation on land
purchased by Tabitha's grandfather Hemphill. Thomas's father passed
away that same year and Thomas and his brothers were left orphans
when their mother died in 1861. At the age of eleven, Thomas was a
ward of the county and "bound out" to the John Blaylock family,
which subsequently moved to Keokuk County, Iowa.
At the age of twenty-one,
Thomas started recording in his diaries and continued to do so for
the next forty-two years. He moved to Grand Junction in Greene
County, Iowa, and while looking for land started working for James
Thompson. Thomas eventually acquired land from Mr. Thompson in
Washington township (Greene County, Iowa).
Thomas married Lydia Maria
Hill on November 6, 1879. Thomas met Lydia through his friendship
with the Thompson family. Together they had seven children who
survived to adulthood: Katharine May, Otis Wallace, Geneva Isabelle,
William Daniel, Clinton Albert, Thomas Emery, and Enolia Hemphill.
They also had one daughter who only survived for three days past
birth.
Farming occupied most of
Thomas's attention, and much of the diaries is devoted to recording
daily activities on the farm. In his later years, Thomas managed to
travel, and these trips are also recorded in the diaries. On
September 22, 1912, he passed away while visiting one of his
daughters in Spokane, Washington.
Though Thomas
never had the opportunity to attend college, he would be proud to
know that many of his descendants took advantage of furthering their
education including 20 (as of 2007) who have graduated from Iowa
State University. |
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Collection description
|
|
This collection
(1871-1994, n.d.) contains the diaries of Thomas M. Terrill and
related papers. The diaries span the years 1871 through 1912,
lacking only the diary for 1883, and record Thomas's daily
activities on his farm with occasional entries documenting family
life. Published transcripts of the diaries completed by
granddaughter Lois Terrill Mueller are included in the collection as
is genealogical information on the Terrill family compiled by Audrey
MacLellan, another granddaughter. The family genealogy is presented
in the manuscript "Thomas Terrill of Iowa, 1850-1912; Some Ancestors
and His Descendants." There are also several miscellaneous diaries
with notes by Thomas, including one that has diary entries copied
from his brother Daniel's diary from the years 1865-1869. Two
pocket bibles acquired by Thomas are also included in the
collection. |
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Organization
|
|
The collection
is organized alphabetically.
|
Container list
| Box
|
Folder |
Title |
Dates |
| 1 |
1 |
Diary |
1871 |
| 1 |
2 |
Diary |
1872 |
| 1 |
3 |
Diary |
1873 |
| 1 |
4 |
Diary |
1874 |
| 1 |
5 |
Diary |
1875 |
| 1 |
6 |
Diary |
1876 |
| 1 |
7 |
Diary |
1877 |
| 1 |
8 |
Diary |
1878 |
| 1 |
9 |
Diary |
1879 |
| 2 |
1 |
Diary |
1880 |
| 2 |
2 |
Diary |
1881 |
| 2 |
3 |
Diary |
1882 |
| 2 |
4 |
Diary |
1884 |
| 2 |
5 |
Diary |
1885 |
| 2 |
6 |
Diary |
1886 |
| 2 |
7 |
Diary |
1887 |
| 2 |
8 |
Diary |
1888 |
| 3 |
1 |
Diary |
1898 |
| 3 |
2 |
Diary |
1890 |
| 3 |
3 |
Diary |
1891 |
| 3 |
4 |
Diary |
1892 |
| 3 |
5 |
Diary |
1893 |
| 3 |
6 |
Diary |
1894 |
| 3 |
7 |
Diary |
1895 |
| 4 |
1 |
Diary |
1896 |
| 4 |
2 |
Diary |
1897 |
| 4 |
3 |
Diary |
1898 |
| 4 |
4 |
Diary |
1899 |
| 4 |
5 |
Diary |
1900 |
| 4 |
6 |
Diary |
1901 |
| 4 |
7 |
Diary |
1902 |
| 5 |
1 |
Diary |
1903 |
| 5 |
2 |
Diary |
1904 |
| 5 |
3 |
Diary |
1904-1906 |
| 5 |
4 |
Diary |
1905 |
| 5 |
5 |
Diary |
1906 |
| 5 |
6 |
Diary |
1907 |
| 5 |
7 |
Diary |
1908 |
| 5 |
8 |
Diary |
1909 |
| 6 |
1 |
Diary |
1910 |
| 6 |
2 |
Diary |
1911 |
| 6 |
3 |
Diary |
1912 |
| 6 |
4 |
Diary entries copied
from "Brother Dan's diary," 1865-1869; also includes entries from a
1912 trip |
1901-1912, n.d. |
| 6 |
5 |
Diary transcripts,
1871-1874 |
1981-1982 |
| 6 |
6 |
Diary transcripts,
1875-1878 |
1982 |
| 6 |
7 |
Diary transcripts,
1879-1882 |
1981, 1983 |
| 7 |
1 |
Diary transcripts,
1884-1888 |
1983 |
| 7 |
2 |
Diary transcripts,
1889-1893 |
1983-1984 |
| 7 |
3 |
Diary transcripts,
1894-1898 |
1984 |
| 7 |
4 |
Diary transcripts,
1899-1903 |
1984-1987 |
| 7 |
5 |
Diary transcripts,
1904-1907 |
1985 |
| 7 |
6 |
Diary transcripts,
1908-1911 |
1985 |
| 7 |
7 |
Diary transcripts,
1912 |
1985 |
| 8 |
1 |
Diary with notes on
word etymologies |
ca. 1897 |
| 8 |
2 |
Family genealogy:
"Thomas Terrill of Iowa, 1850-1912; Some Ancestors and His
Descendants," by Audrey Terrill MacLellan |
1994 |
| 8 |
3 |
New Testament |
1897 |
| 8 |
4 |
New Testament,
presented to Terrill by John Blaylock on May 18, 1868 |
n.d. |
|
